'Be careful sis': Maid spotted squatting on ledge outside 5th floor HDB flat cleaning windows

A video of a maid perched precariously on a ledge cleaning the windows outside a Tampines HDB flat has sparked concerns from netizens regarding her safety. 

In the video, the maid can be seen holding onto the top of the window of this fifth-floor unit with one hand and cleaning the window with the other. She later climbs back into the unit and sits on the ledge while continuing to wipe the windows. 

This short clip of the maid was uploaded to Facebook by Winarti Buezaky on Tuesday (March 15), along with a caption written in Malay: "Be careful sis. This person lives in the same block as me. They are on the fifth floor, I'm on the sixth floor."

It is unclear when the video was filmed. 

The video has made its rounds on Facebook, garnering comments from worried netizens upset that the maid was cleaning the windows in such an unsafe manner.

Some also suggested that the employer be reported to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), as it is illegal for Foreign Domestic Workers (FDWs) to clean the exterior of windows without strict safety measures in place. 

According to MOM's website, FDWs are only allowed to clean the exterior of windows if: 

• The employer is physically present to supervise the FDW; and if
• Window grilles have been installed and are locked at all times during the cleaning process. 

Employers who fail to comply to these regulations may be prosecuted and permanently barred from hiring an FDW. 

In 2018, a maid suffered serious injuries after slipping and falling from a HDB flat in Simei.

She had been cleaning the window with one foot balanced on the ledge and the other on a bamboo pole, which eventually gave way. 

Her fall was broken by a 63-year-old man on the first floor. 

claudiatan@asiaone.com